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over the past 24 hours. and the search through the rubble is stretching into a third day. japan's prime minister says more than 3,000 people have been rescued but it's now feared the death toll from the monster quake and tsunami will climb to 1800 or higher. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in the situation room. i want to get to the breaking news that we're following, the fear that a meltdown at one of the nuclear reactors in japan may be under way. update our viewers on what we know right now. >> reporter: well, a nuclear expert earlier today called it a hail mary pass. the japanese were pumping sea water into a reactor to try and keep it cool. in addition infusing it with boron attempting to stop the

radiological chemical reaction, all in a desperate effort to prevent a meltdown. the japanese ambassador to the u.s. said on our air a short time ago that there was no meltdown in process. but an official with japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency told cnn it is a possibility. there may be one under way. he said we have still not confirmed that there is an actual meltdown but there is a possibility. the reason they think there might be one under way is that they have detected radioactive cesium and radioactive iodine outside of that plant. that official went on to say, however, that we have confidence we will resolve this. that was reiterated by japan's chief cabinet secretary. he said in a press conference a short time ago we can stabilize the situation. now, adding another level to this is the fact that a second reactor at that same plant is

now having problems with its cooling system. this is exactly what started the problem at the first reactor so the temperature in the second unit is believed to be rising. we were told by a japanese official that nine people have now had radiation exposure. it's been detected on their clothing. at this point they do not believe that is health threatening but the iaea the international atomic energy agency says that the japanese government is considering distributing iodine tablets to the population. iodine helps protect the thyroid from radiation exposure. in addition, the government has expanded the evacuation zone around this plant now to about 12 miles. the iaea says about 170,000 people have been evacuated from the area. in addition, the japanese news agency nhk is reporting that the military has moved into the area, a team that specializes in cleaning up radiological

contamination. what is the u.s. government doing about this? well the nuclear wregulatory commission has sent two experts to japan, people expert in this particular kind of reactor. in addition the nrc and the department of energy are both keeping very careful tabs and keeping in touch with the government of japan. back to you. >> stand by for a moment. we have a correspondent for "the wall street journal" on the phone right now. i understand you were not that far away from one of these plants earlier. tell us what you know. >> right. i was about a mile away from the explosion of the first reactor, about 45 minutes prior to the explosion. myself and my colleague got out with the last group of evacuees. one of the officials heading up the evacuation process, he was very calm and then got the announcement and his face

changed kohl meerdly and things ran very quickly and the last group of municipal employees were evacuated and that is the group we left with. >> this explosion that occurred and we have pictures, didn't we say that huge plumes of smoke that emerged from that explosion, walk us through how that explosion happened. >> well, wolf, i wasn't there for the actual explosion. but i can tell you that prior to it, i'm not sure how many people at the latest evacuation center which is about 20 kilometers outside of the town was as close to the reactor. things are fine there. i don't know to what extent they were informed of what was happening. i don't even know how much the officials back at the first evacuation center knew about what was going on but they knew it was going to be bad. >> and these reports that a meltdown may actually have started already, you've heard these reports, the japanese ambassador to the united states tells me those reports are not true but what if anything do you know about the reports that a meltdown may have occurred, may be occurring right now at one of

these plants? >> i'm not -- i don't think my intelligen intelligence -- i am privy to that kind of intelligence. however, i can tell you when we were leaving the evacuation center the officials were putting on these bright yellow hazmat type suits with face masks to -- i would assume to protect themselves against any sort of radiation fallout that would occur. >> how were you holding up? what's it like for you? >> it's fine. it's been a busy couple days but nothing like the harrowing experience these people up north are going through. >> i want you to hold on a moment. kenneth is joining us now, a correspondent for "the economist" magazine joining via skype from tokyo. how are you holding up, kenneth? >> well, i'm holding up very well but of course what i'm hearing on your broadcast is very alarming. i think that there's a few things that we can say with certainty and that is the needs of the japanese government. they must be transparent.

they must recognize that the eyes of the world are watching them and the eyes of the region and how they respond is going to be critical. they have an opportunity to have a model response on how a domestic, in a domestic setting with nuclear power during a crisis can develop international links, be transparent to its own people and to the international community, invite in international experts and have full disclosure. anything less is going to create huge problems for them. first huge problems domestically. secondly huge problems internationally because what is happening here we can just imagine will happen somewhere else, in other circumstances, as nuclear energy becomes more popular around the world. japan is a first world country and it needs to have a first world transparency and disclosure mechanism. >> what is the track record? you've covered japan. you live there. you've been reporting on the situation in japan for the economists earlier for other publications. what kind of track record does the japanese government have in

transparency albeit obviously nothing as serious as this crisis going on right now? >> in truth it's mixed and that gives a lot of worry and concern for people. the japanese language doesn't lend itself to complete clarity just as in english we can obfuscate and speak in general terms and so can they very well tan is employed very frequently. as one small example we do know that on friday night immediately after the earthquake naoto kan the prime minister told us there was no radiation leakage. that is true. what he could have said is we also have a small crisis brewing insofar as we have a cooling system at one plant that wasn't shut down. we found out about this but it wasn't through the words of the prime minister. what we do need to know is what is actually happening and we need to have that backed up again by outside experts who are here who can make that liaison. here is an example of a problem. the ieae, has recently come out

by describing what is going on in japan but if you look closely at their statement you'll see it comes directly from the japanese authorities. it's not from their own words. they didn't verify it themselves. they just got a phone call from someone in japan and that is simply not good enough. and to quote the ambassador, japan's ambassador to america i would argue that's meaningless. the reason why is he is on the other echbd the phone call from someone who told him information and it may or may not be true or may not be up to date. so what we need to have is authorities from tokyo telling us what's happening and it has to be believable because if there is a credibility misstep then nothing they say from now on is going to be believed and that's going to create panic. >> hold on for a moment. yoree is holding on as well. jeanne meserve is with us. we have been getting conflicting statements from various branches of the japanese government on what is going on as far as the

nuclear issue is concerned. i think it's fair to say as we approach 48 hours into this disaster there have been mixed reports coming out from japan. >> there have been. and i was on a conference call earlier today with a number of nuclear experts who were finding that very frustrating. they were being asked a lot of questions about how they thought this would play out, would there be a meltdown, breach of containment? they said we really can't speculate because we don't have the information we need and they were critical of the japanese government for not providing more detail on this. one other thing i wanted to clarify, wolf, about the radiation that we know was outside the plant. we know nine people at least have been exposed. they have been venting radioactive steam from the reactor. it's an effort to keep down the pressure of what we've been told by the japanese authorities that this is not at levels that are health threatening but that would explain why we're finding radiation outside of the plant. there may be other reasons but we know at least it's because

they've been doing that venting which is an effort to keep the plant intact. secondly, as far as we know, the containment at this point has been preserved. we've been told by japanese officials that in fact the very important technology that's around the reactor itself is still intact. that is a good sign. it means that even if there is a meltdown there is a possibility that everything would be held within there. >> i want you to stand by. our own reporters are on the scene right now and we'll check in with them right after we come back. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 absolutely, i mean, these financial services companies

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of what is going on in japan following the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami. it is now approaching 48 hours since this disaster unfolded. walk us through what you've seen a little bit over the past nearly two days. the devastation, the damage, the destruction. i know you're in tokyo now but you were out of tokyo closer to the scene just hours ago. >> right. well, we did an initial flyover of the most hard hit areas and it was unbelievable. the entire neighborhood that stood there just, you know, a few hours earlier completely gone. just swept away. the sendai airport was charred around the outer rim. flames were flung several kilometers away from the runways. cars were, you know, und

water, submerged. and there were a few cars running on some streets but there was very little sign of life. at least from the distance we saw from up above. >> are the rescue teams getting there? do we know if these search-and-rescue teams are already in place? are they still sort of getting there on the way? not only the japanese military but from around the world? >> well, i can't speak specifically as to which teams have already reached the areas but we did see some helicopters searching even lower than we were for survivors. the people at the evacuation sent acenter where we were at yesterday at fukushima prefecture said they wanted to get out to the coastal areas where they said about 80 homes were completely ruined and swept away. but just the kngs were still too difficult to make it through. and other officials have dissuaded them from doing so for their own safety.

>> what does it feel like, these after shocks? i know there have been dozens of them since the 8.9 magnitude quake struck almost 48 hours ago. >> right. in tokyo it's been pretty consistent. i got one just this morning and they were, i would say, a couple every hour and the following 12 hours right after the earthquake. yesterday we were in the prefecture. we felt one when we landed at 2:30 p.m. it's constant reminder of what's happened and what could possibly happen in the future. >> joining us from tokyo, stand by. gary tuchman, our correspondent is near the disaster scene right now. gary, tell our viewers where you are what you've seen. >> well, right now we're driving

east from the town of shonai on the western coast of northern japan by the sea of japan heading toward sendai. talking about those aftershocks, it is very disconcerting when you feel it especially as a victim of an earthquake. here in japan you're dealing with the most powerful earthquake in recorded history, dealing with a possible disaster at the nuclear plants. you are dealing with a tsunami that was captured on live television, scenes we've never seen before. and what you have in that situation is tremendous anxiety particularly in northern japan. people nervous, scared, and that is something we saw in haiti last year. we see now people are wondering could there be an aftershock that is greater than the original earthquake? there are plenty of people afraid to go back in their homes because they're afraid. that's something we dealt with last year in haiti and something we're dealing with now in japan. when do you feel the aftershokts, i mentioned earlier i was in a hotel last night in tokyo in a high rise. tokyo time. and in haiti you don't have

these skyscrapers but here you have plenty. the situation is worse when you have these and you're so high up and literally you feel like the building is about to fall down. each time you feel it there is this element of fear when you feel the after shocks. >> how far, gary, you from sendai right now? a city of about a million people along the coast that has completely lost power, we're told almost the entire city is witho without power. food is running out. water is starting to run out. how close are you? we're going to other neighboring towns before we get to sendai so we're still a couple hours from getting to sendai. with an earthquake, covering it is very complicated because it's not like you have all this do s documentation of what has happened in each town.

we're exploring and will see what we see. >> these are new pictures from tv asahi and we can see the destruction of these areas. hard to believe they were robust and lively 48 hours ago. now look at these towers, the cars, the water coming in. what's it like on the road right now, gary? a lot of traffic or is it empty? sunday morning now in japan. >> right. right now it's 10:19 a.m. here in japan and the traffic is relatively sparse. what isn't sparse are the lines at the gas stations. tremendous lines and all the gas stations that are open. nothing near sendai we're told is open right now. it's two hours outside of sendai and you have the tremendously long line and the shelves of the stores here in northern japan, it's what we see during our hurricane coverage in the united states. empty shelves. now, you know, for us, the journalists who have to cover this story we're buying our

supplies in tokyo and then trying to get it up here. but it is a very difficult situation. feel so sorry for the people that live here give us a little contrast between what you're seeing here in japan and what you saw in haiti last year in the aftermath of the earthquake there. people come up to us and ask us what can we expect? in haiti there was a lot of people who would come up to us and they were fully expecting there would be an earthquake stronger than the first. a lot of people sadly think it's punishment from above and that they've done something wrong and that caused this. it makes you so sad. you try to reassure people that historically speaking it is very rare. after shocks are earthquakes. they come from the initial earthquake. it is very rare for another one to come stronger than the first one. in haiti that proved to be the case. there were lots of aftershocks. it's the same situation here.

they build things so well here. they've never had one like this before. and is this the beginning of many other earthquakes that will be stronger? you reassure people it is unlikely to happen and it hasn't yet. nevertheless every time you feel the after shock it is a scary feeling for people going through some terror and in many cases such tragedy in japan. >> this is the worst recorded quake in japan's history and one of the worst in recorded history period. gary will be with us. don't go far away. we'll check in with you. our special breaking news coverage here in the situation room will continue right after this.

these are new pictures coming in from the devastation and destruction in japan. we are constantly getting more images. still photographs as well as video coming in. it's not daylight in japan as we approach 48 hours after the disaster developed. the business and finance correspondent for "the economist" based in tokyo is joining us via skype. in all of your experience covering japan have you ever seen or felt anything like this? this is extraordinary as far as i'm concerned but give me your perspective. >> yeah. so tremors and earthquakes are a part of every day life in japan.

once or twice a month you will have the buildings shaken. you'll have to look around to see is this the big one or not? everyone in tokyo generally has a go bag. you look at it regularly, stock it, make sure things are fresh. you know where it is. you have lots of small bills in it not large bills. you know how to get out through multiple exits from your house not just one. that is every day life. what happened two days ago was very different. if one felt the tremors and the shake but then looked around and realized this is getting a lot bigger, buildings were swaying, buckling. i was in one basically shuddering and lurching. you went down onto the street and it was like jello. you realized suddenly the playbook you have doesn't really work because there is no place to hide. normally you want to go under a table. doesn't help you if the building collapses. >> you are supposed to go outside.

doesn't help you if things fall down in the street. >> the whole country is rad ld. the decision makers in tokyo are as well they've had to go through the after shocks. you're feeling them constantly which is a sort of low level humming that there is not just danger but underneath you as well. >> with these nuclear power plants schu down, you were telling me this is going to be some power shortages, blackouts in northern japan where the devastation was mostly concentrated but even in chicago? >> i'm right now in a tremor. >> really. >> my building is still shaking. let's go through and if i have to leave -- >> obviously you do but tell us what it feels like. >> well, what's happened is you first get a sense of like you're on a boat.

things are usually, instead of one direction it'll be sort of like a swing, when you first sit down on a swing. what i was feeling is this sort of feeling. i looked around and i saw in fact things were moving. the water and the fish tank was moving. the plants were moving. i could look outside and realize, i couldn't actually tell anything when i was outside. you just feel it here. it's a very disconcerting feeling. for that reason i felt the need to interrupt you. there is also a safety issue here. if i have to run out, i thought i'd be polite and say good-bye. but of course now it's totally stopped. again, we're so used to it that we just march on. you can't really live in japan without recognizing that this exists, that there is a risk factor. the way we psychologically sell it to ourselves is we say there is a risk factor everywhere. people live in washington and new york city and those are dangerous for a variety of reasons. so you just live the best life

you can. >> what floor are you on in that building where you are right now? >> okay. i'm on a low floor so the sway should be quite low. what is considered a small apartment building, there is about -- there's four stories to it. i am on the first floor so actually the second story. the first floor above the ground. and so the sway would have been a lot more three stories higher. because it is a smaller building, built in the '80s, it sort of squauts. it was built to very high construction standards. you don't rent an apartment in tokyo without knowing about the construction standards. that might, you know, everyone is cost conscious so you might just kind of rent something that still might be a little iffy and just hope the worst doesn't strike. that's common. right? but a lot of people would want something better built just in case the tragedy, just in case there is a major earthquake we've spoken with experts, kenneth. there have been dozens of these aftershocks since the magnitude

8.9 quake struck two days ago. but, you know, they're going to be able to tell me, they're going to be a lot more in the coming days and weeks. these aftershocks are not going to stop. how do you feel about that? >> i feel bifurcated. i feel there's two thoughts. the first one is what does one do with one's family and should i get them out of here? the second one is i'm a in differe different -- in a different situation. i'm paid to stay. i'm going to be here reporting the news. there is no question about that. where i'll be i don't know. but i will stay in japan. >> is the japanese government, the civilian and the military portions, are they capable of dealing with a crisis of this magnitude? >> first of all, there is no

playbook. you don't have to be tested and get your score at the end. japan has taken very good preparations and drills for these sorts of things. this is a calamity on a scale we hadn't really accounted for in some respects but in others it is not as bad as you would think. keep in mind tokyo was not hit. tokyo was spared. the place that was the most damaged is a relatively rural area. essentially japan's hinter land. so in that sense, we've been seeing great devastation and a huge tragedy but could have been worse in many other areas with a higher population destiny and industry and a lot more going on. so, yeah. this is -- yeah. >> sendai, though, a city not far from the worst part the defendant station is a big city of about a million people. that entire city for all practical purposes has lost power and we've heard from our correspondents on the scene there that folks are just

driving away trying to get out of there not only because they have no power, there are shortages of food and water and medicine right now, but they're afraid if there is another major aftershock there could be yet another tsunami and that's what worries them along the coast. >> it's a reel worry. in crises like this people have to essentially take care of themselves while they also need responsible government to give you the ability to do things. so for example if people feel the need that they want to go inland, it's up to the government to provide that ability by making sure the roads are open and making sure that there is no -- that like the crime rate is low. japan is very lucky in the sense that it has a very low crime rate and has a real sense of social harmony and a real help, you know, help yourself spirit. it's somewhat of a help my neighbor spirit but mostly a help yourself spirit which is very useful in times like this. the authorities are going to try to do their very best. the city is bracing for after shocks. the fact that there is no power

is not in itself a terrible thing as long as people can actually have heating and actually get food and water. keep in mind what you consider, you know, what you want in a crisis situation are the bare necessities and things on top of that are nice to have but not need to have. >> a writer for the economist magazine based in tokyo right now, kenneth, you've been very helpful to our viewers in the united states and around the world. be careful over there. we'll stay in close touch. thanks very much. >> you too. >> the building has stopped shaking now. right? there is no more swaying. you just felt that aftershock and that's gone? >> yeah. that's now gone. i feel a lot more reassured. >> you're not feeling sea sick because of the sway? >> no. just stage fright. >> good luck over there. appreciate it very much. we'll take a quick break and continue the breaking news coverage here in the situation room and check in with our

reporters on the scene. much more coverage coming up right after this. [ wind howling ]

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i want to check in the devastated port city of sendai right now. i haven't spoken to you in a while. tell us where you are and what you're seeing. i understand the situation on the sunday morning already in japan is awful.

>> reporter: it is pretty rough. it varies depending on what part of the city you're in. this neighborhood that i'm in is, you can think of it as almost a small residential community. and here the military has arrived. there is an active search and rescue operation going on. they're still trying to find people according to various reports we've seen, especially talking to some of the residents there are a few hundred people missing in this community. and you can really understand why as i take a look around i'm looking at two cars piled on top of each other. they are just sitting on top of each other. houses have been pushed around and completely flattened. one part where there were a dozen houses, gone. what you see in their place? debris. water is everywhere. mud is everywhere. trees have been snapped into tooth picks. it is truly a scene of

devastation. and i'm a couple miles away from the water. so the water pushed miles inland and the people here are prepared for tsunami. this is something that they had always had in the back of their mind. they just never thought it would be of this force and come across so quickly. i'm just seeing one tiny snap shot of this community. as we get closer to the water we are expecting it in the houses and the people there to be far more devastated. if you look at the faces of these people, the people who live here, a day and a half after the tsunami they are simply shocked. they are shell shocked. because if you take a look at this devastation, you can certainly see why. what was a small fishing community, a farming community, a pretty nice suburban area has truly been devastated here. i'm further inland into sendai, the larger metropolis. there are water problems. there are power problems. we're seeing very long lines of people just trying to get fresh

water. schools have been turned into shelters. hospitals have been turned into shelters. people are waiting in very long lines for any gas. there are people handing out bottles of water. so the one thing i will say about japan, they are a very organized community driven people. so many people on the grass roots level are trying to help each other. people are giving each other support, trying to tell each other where to go to stand in line for gas, where to get food and water. all of these essential, life saving options are very, very scarce. i can also tell you that we are seeing absolutely nope problems as far as violence, any rioting. japan is a very orderly society. people are being very calm despite what has happened here so you don't see evidence of looting going on at stores, right? >> reporter: absolutely not. that is something that would

absolutely shock me. one thing that really stood out here in japan is that everyone worked together. people understand in japan if there is a crisis to a community that type of behavior is simply not going to help anyone. this is a culture that really does try to help one another and they do focus on the larger community at hand. just one quick thing. it is very possible that your wallet will end up at the police station with all the money in it if you lose a wallet in japan. it is an honest driven community. people look out for each other. the idea of moving, only if it becomes absolutely desperate. we're not dealing with any of that right now. >> i don't know if you know the answer but i want to throw it out to you. there is a community, a village north of sendai with about 17,000 people. we were told what, 9,500 of

those people are reported missing or unaccounted for and i wonder if you have any new information to update us on those 9,500 people. >> all we know is what we've heard from various people who live in this community and from the military. the information is very sketchy out of that area. there are many parts of the coastal region where no help has been able to arrive. this community is lucky even with the destruction because the military has feet on the ground here. in some of those communities the demonstrations are found because help is slow moving going in and because all the roadways are cut off. we're just starting to learn about this information. so all we have is pretty much what we've been reporting is at this point there are thousands of people missing in that community and everyone is being -- they're trying to locate whoever they can. >> yeah. that tsunami came in miles, the

kilometers of water just coming in and ripping the whole area apart and then washing back and who knows what happened in the process? stand by. we'll come back to you. we'll take a quick break. the news continues here in the situation room and the news is not good. [ male announcer ] this...is the network. a living, breathing intelligence that is helping business rethink how to do business. ♪ in here, inventory can be taught to learn... so products get routed to where they're needed most. ♪ in here, machines have a voice... so they can tell headquarters when they need refilling. ♪ in here, money works smarter... so financial institutions can turn dreams into realities.

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tell us what is going on here. >> when the earth moved, literally, the crusts of the plates of the earth moved, so did the land masses that they're attached to. here is japan here. this would be, actually it's the north america plate. i know that doesn't make any sense. but the specific plate is the one that was going after japan. japan sits on the north american plate and the ewer asia plate is right behind it. but a little sliver is where japan sits on. when the stresses were gilding up as the pacific plate coming in from hawaii, the plif plate is pushing into japan, going under japan's sub ducting. the sub ducks shun zone is going under. the part that was japan here begins to curl in and get stresses on it. go ahead and hit play. the xreses in get pushed in and mushd in and all a sudden at the

end -- it pops. and when it pops it pops the land mass, pushes up the water and the water gets pushed out as a tsunami. a and so the story, you'll find it on cnn.com, as well, is that after the earthquake japan is now eight feet closer to america than it was before the earthquake because it was getting push, push, push. all of a sudden japan popped to the east by eight feet. there are a number of gps locations on japan and most of the little pins have moved. most moved about eight'. it will be interesting to see if part of japan goes up or down. there will be some of these pins that find them that they went up or down in elevation as well. not just up or down back and forth but the story is i know eight feet seems like a big deal but the quake back in 2004 moved

it 20 meters. that is 60 feet. this was a big quake of course but the quake actually moved the islands there around indonesia by 60 feet. now, think of this. the axis issue, the same question. think about the ice skater with her arms out going slowly. as soon as she brings her arms in she goes much quicker. well, the arms now are a little further out because the islands have moved so the axis of the, the rotation has moved by four inches. >> good explanation, chad. thanks very much. we're going to go back to the north, some of the most devastated areas of japan. much more coverage coming up here in "the situation room." [ crickets chirping ]

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pure... and also delicious. like nature valley. granola bars made with crunchy oats and pure honey. nature valley -- 100% natural. 100% delicious. let's get right back to the devastated port city of sendai in northern japan. we now have a picture -- show us a little bit of what you're seeing there on the ground. >> reporter: wolf, we can show you that when the tsunami came ashore and i am a couple miles inland, it literally pushed cars around like toys. i mean, take a look here. you can see that what has completely covered that car is debris. there is water all where it shouldn't be. this is supposed to be a

residential area but there is water as far as you can see. cars have been pushed inland and again i'm two miles, about two or three miles inland and so this is an area that has been completely devastated. and the houses here are actually not too bad because they're still standing. a little further in residents tell me that there are houses that have been completely flattened. as we take a walk over this way, the reason why that car looks unaffected is because it arrived after the tsunami. if you can look over that way you can see two cars sitting on top of each other. that is the force after tsunami. and it has led to an active search-and-rescue operation here in this community. the military says they've just pulled out a body today. there are a few hundred people missing according to the

residents of this town. they haven't been able to account for everybody so the emergency is certainly going on. they are still trying to find people. still hoping that they will find people in the debris. those people will be alive, wolf. >> do you see any evidence of search-and-rescue teams where you are right now? >> we're seeing military walking in and out with shovels. they're quite a bit closer to where the water is to the shore line where there is a bit more activity as far as trying to dig people out of houses. so yes. there is absolutely a search-and-rescue activity going on. what we can also tell you is that in the city of sendai there are very, very long lines for basic supplies such as gasoline, water, and food. people are sharing. we can see someone who even has two bottles of water handing it over to someone else. the community trying to get grips with this but it is frustrating because if you look at how long these lines are just for bottles of water, the volunteers are hanging out and it looks like it is going to be

at least a couple hours just to get some water. >> how can you guys get around? i know you and our crew. most of the roads seem impassable. >> it is very, very difficult. even if you're going to go a mile it's pretty tough. if you take a look here this road is actually not too bad but mud is everywhere. it is very difficult to find a road that isn't covered in debris. and so when i say that this community is actually starting to clean up, even though it doesn't look like it, at least the roadway is clear. but people here have taken their shovels and tried to clear out the debris so they can at least come in and out of this residential area. >> on the scene for us, kyung lah. we'll check back with you. thanks very much. please be very careful. we appreciate what you're doing. we'll take a quick break.

we've just received some really remarkable new video. residents fled to higher ground when they heard the terrifying sound of the tsunami warnings. all they could do was stand and watch their community become

over powered with water. [ speaking in foreign language ] >> reporter: at 3:00 p.m. friday afternoon the city hall issued a tsunami warning. residents quickly evacuated their homes looking for higher ground. these people managed to get to this hill top. mothers held on tightly to their children. they listened anxiously to the radio for more information. [ speaking in foreign language ] >> reporter: at 3:11 a massive tsunami swept through the city.

multiply that scene many times and you begin to appreciate what has happened in japan.